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Dec 15
Mariah Carey; Beacon Theater, Upper West Side,8pm. $75.30–$280.
Mimi's seasonal smash, "Merry Christmas," turns 20 this year, and she's celebrating with a holiday-themed Upper West Side run.
Sixth Annual Latke Festival; Metropolitan Pavilion, Chelsea, 7:30pm. $60.
Get Hanukkah ready and enjoy New York’s best latke creations as chefs vie for best latke at this fried-up competition.
"The Forever Now: Contemporary Painting in an Atemporal World"; Museum of Modern Art, Midtown East, 10:30am. $25.
Though tedious arguments persist that painting is dead, the medium has been happily thriving where it counts most: in the hands of artists.
Secret Science Club; The Bell House, Gowanus, 8pm. Free.
Find out what will become of the human brain, according to scientist Gary Marcus.
Tinashe; Highline Ballroom, Chelsea, 8pm. $20.
Tinashe emerged this year as a young R&B talent-to-watch on the strength of her debut LP, Aquarius, and its DJ Mustard–produced lead single, "2 On." This should be an intimate gig for the rising star.
Cthulhu Comedy Show; Lovecraft Bar, East Village, 9pm. Free.
Cthulhu is undying, but who knows? Maybe laughs from a variety of talented local stand-ups will take the beast down.
Dec 16
Jingle Holiday Pop-up; Chelsea Market, 12:30pm. Free.
Accessories designer Jill Schwartz curated this 6,000-square-foot Jingle Holiday Pop-up inside Chelsea Market, featuring local and international goods perfect for gift-giving. Inside, you’ll find stylish wares by Izola and vibrant living sculptures (starting at $60) from Twig Terrariums. Plus, this shop has enough holiday spirit to cheer up even the scroogiest New Yorker.
Estelle; B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, Midtown West, 8pm. $30, advance $25.
Back in 2008, British soul singer Estelle was touted as the U.K.'s answer to Lauryn Hill—but after the massive success of single "American Boy" with Kanye West, the hits seemed to taper off. At this show you'll hear from the singer's brand-new album, True Romance.
Free Water #4; KGB Bar, East Village, 7pm. Free.
Drop by the legendary KGB Bar for a dimly lit Soviet atmosphere and to revel in the brilliance of a few of our favorite New York writers, including BuzzFeed editor and poet Saeed Jones, Broadax author Amy Lawless, and poet and visual artist Bianca Stone.
Yelawolf; Gramercy Theatre, Gramercy & Flatiron, 7pm. $27.
With his urgent, wildly elastic voice, unique narrative (wanna-be pro skater turned Alaskan fisherman turned hard-grinding Southern rapper) and unbeatable ear for trunk-rattling beats, Yelawolf is a white rapper like few others.
Haunting Rendition Live; The Bell House, Gowanus, 8:30pm. $12, advance $10.
Eliot Glazer follows up his well-observed Web series It Gets Betterish with Haunting Renditions, in which he transforms fluffy pop hits into grand, orchestral affairs.
Dec 17
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens in theaters
After five epic films and a boatload of Oscars, of course we're stoked for Peter Jackson's final journey to Middle-earth, a battle-packed conclusion.
Stand-Up on the Spot: The Improvised Stand-Up Show; The Stand, Gr& Flatiron,8pm. $15.
Robby Slowik hosts this show where you, the audience, tell the comedians what subjects you want to hear about
Lisa Jarnot and Claudia Rankine; The Poetry Project at St. Mark's, East Village, 8pm. $8.
For a night of powerful and brutal poetry and a mind-expanding discussion about art, don't miss these two well-respected writers.
Klaus Lutz; The Kitchen, Chelsea, 12pm. Free.
Lutz (1940–2009) was born in Switzerland, and from 1993 until his death, he lived in a small East Village apartment, which became, effectively, the studio for an extraordinary series of movies starring himself as the protagonist of dreamlike scenes.
If You Don't, I Will opens in theaters
Two of France's greatest living actors square off in a chatty dramedy (also known as "a French movie) about a woman who ditches her longtime partner after too many years of bickering.
Two-Book Minimum; Union Hall, Park Slope, 8pm. $7.
This indispensable comedy and storytelling show makes its first appearance at Union Hall.
Dec 18
Winter Solstice Celebration; Cathedral Church of St. John of the Divine. Free.
At Paul Winter’s annual concert, returning for its 35th year you can see a slew of dance and musical guests and Winter himself on sax.
Pam Ann: Bad Air Hostess; Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, Greenwich Village, 11:30pm. $30 plus $15 minimum.
Gay-beloved international camp sensation Pam Ann touches down for a stopover in NYC, offering an outrageous guide to the airline less traveled. As Pam, Australia’s Caroline Reid has the audience in the palm of her well-manicured hand.
#356FeministSelfie Project Reading; Berl's Brooklyn Poetry Shop, Dumbo, 7pm. Free.
Unconvinced of the self-absorption of selfies, a group of feminists is emphasizing the power of women reclaiming the camera’s gaze.
Tere O'Conner Dance; Danspace Project at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, East Village, 8pm. $20.
O'Connor presents BLEED, a fourth dance—after Secret Mary, poem and Sister—which simultaneously combines and discards the previous works to create an autonomous product.
Aurora Halal + Night Plane + Uchi + Malory + Tano; Verboten, Williamsburg, 10pm. $15.
New York-based creative artist and underground music enthusiast Aurora Halal headlines Verboten's Cyborgs night, joined by Night Plane, Uchi, Malory and Tano. Halal, who was featured in Resident Advisor's “Breaking Through” series, is a creative overachiever in music, video and event production and anything and everything in between.